Social Isolation: An Important Health and Public Health Issue and a Significant Cost to Medicare
Social isolation has been shown to lead to poor health and even premature death. New research just published by the AARP Public Policy Institute finds that isolation also increases health care costs: a lack of social contacts among older adults is associated with an estimated $6.7 billion in additional Medicare spending annually.
This event, hosted by the AARP Public Policy Institute, was a discussion of social isolation’s effects on individuals’ health, its impact on Medicare spending, and potential policy solutions to address social isolation and its consequences. In addition, panelists discussed how social isolation became recognized as a major public health concern in the UK and how the issue can be better recognized in the US. Also discussed were current efforts by the AARP Foundation and Medicare Advantage plans to address the issue.
Watch the archived videos below:
Part 1. The Impact of Social Isolation on Medicare spending. Meet the researchers and issue experts who have identified social isolation as the new silent killer. PPI’s new study confirms that Medicare is spending $6.7 billion annually as a result of this public health issue.
Part 2. Solutions to Address Social Isolation. Learn more from experts working to solve the problem of social isolation both in the U.S. and abroad. What we need to do next is develop the evidence base for sound solutions.
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